I started writing Mr. Richardson and Me after scaring myself almost to death. It was July of 2022. I had been in bed almost a month with a wound that would not heal properly. I was lonely and frightened. I considered the knives in the kitchen. I considered the pills…

Each year, I hear, “I hate English class, but I love your teaching.” So, it’s time to shake things up a bit. — I love this MacBook Air Cover, but this morning it has taken on a new meaning. As I contemplate how to revise my courses to be more relevant to the students, this little cover provides ideas for lessons that appeal to the left brain and the right brain. As we…

When I decided not to make teaching the most important aspect of my identity, I felt lost. It’s time to find myself… perhaps for the first time. — It’s something I should have done a long time ago: find my purpose in life, except I thought I had. I knew, from the time I was very small, that I wanted to be a teacher. Still, I did not become a teacher until much later in life, as life…

I am working on another post about how teachers add value to their districts at great cost to themselves and their families. Your…

Teachers consider the paraprofessionals who share their classroom heroes. It’s time school boards did, too. — A paraprofessional could also be a classroom assistant, teacher assistant, instructional aide, paraeducator, or just para. In my district, they are called paraprofessionals. We are down to a precious few of these incredible colleagues, as are many districts. The staff shortage in the education space is real, and extreme.

The first week is in the books. So far, so good. — How to Care for Students Differently What worked for me before is not going to work this year. Here are two ways I will show I care differently.medium.com “I can tell already that you are going to make the class very interesting this year,” I said to a student who already shows signs of what I call “slow walking” through assignments. This student is also gearing up to be the class jester. For example, for the first two…

Schools are trying to establish a “new normal.” Let’s start with redefining professional development. — Send an email to teachers telling them there will be a professional development (PD) session, and listen for the collective groan from each classroom. PD is notoriously terrible. If we are to establish a new normal, however, we all need these sessions, but we need them to be productive, engaging…

What worked for me before is not going to work this year. Here are two ways I will show I care differently. — This post is a message to everyone who reads it, even the one who wrote it. In the past, I thought of myself as “Professor Fluffy.” (I am not a professor, but have always wanted to be one.) It was a self-imposed nickname, ostensibly to remind myself to be compassionate…

A Course for Exploring This Essential Question — My Dream School We can always dream. It supports our hopefulness.heather-maccorkle.medium.com Course Description Ask students the important essential question: “Why do writers write?” You will hear they write to inform, explain, persuade, or entertain. This course explores the many reasons writers write that expand on that correct answer. In this course, students will make connections between cultural context, personal history, and the urge…